Prof K C Mishra
Executive Director, Shushruti Institute of Management Studies, Bangalore

Abstract

A complete divinization of human persona is the gospel of Swami Chidananda; His Divine Call that manifest: “See but Look Not, Hear but Listen Not, Taste but Relish Not, Touch but Feel Not” is only to awaken us from the deep sleep of ignorance and have break-through the dream to claim our birth-right, recognize our true identity, know our Real Nature right here and enter into the experience of divine joy and wisdom which is the Eternal Self. This is his knock at our innermost chamber and compassionately soliciting answer from the Inner Voice. The Highway of our life is able to hear the rotating sound of the earth but we have not tuned our ears for the purpose; here we need presence of a Divine Messenger to support and sustain. Therefore, Swami says: “Don’t merely believe, but Be and Live”. Unfortunately we look and look but never genuinely see; we listen and listen never hear to understand; we relish always but taste not; and we feel and feel and never try to touch. The truest fact is the Swami doesn’t teach his disciples rather create conditions for them to learn. While creating human beings the Supreme Divine had conditioned the narratives to See, Hear, Taste and Touch but the irony is we don’t use these faculties in the righteous way and so far we have averred that we are innocent of these narratives. This non-moralistic preaching of the Swami invites us to step across a threshold to more wholesome ways of Seeing-Being in the Universe. This way we are reminded of our higher goals of which we shouldn’t so easily lose sight of.

 Keywords: See, Look, Hear, Listen, Taste, Relish

The Prelude

“See but Look Not, Hear but Listen Not, Taste but Relish Not, Touch but FeelNot” says Sri Swami Chidananda Saraswati of the Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, India; these prophetic words were revealed by the renowned Sage while addressing a gathering at Trivandrum during morning Satsang as part of the All-India Tour undertaken from September 09, 1950 accompanied by his Spiritual Master Swami Sivananda. For us understanding these veiled four lines are very crucial. The fundamentals are simple: the process of mundane-spiritual process begins when we go beyond “see, hear, taste, and touch” (as the mind remains engrossed wanting more of these mundane desires) to look, listen, relish and feel. After the meditation session was over, Swamiji threw light on the secret of this inner Sadhana and asked the Sadhaks to adopt the above formula for success in meditation. 

The author likes to put-forth: our beautiful universe is the excellent creation of its creator with a well-conceived plan. The stark reality is: it’s fully obedient to its creator. After thousands of millions of years, the sun, the moon, the stars and planets are moving at incredible speed around their orbits and have never wavered even by a fraction of a second in their course ofaction, each one ofthem faithfully and diligently discharging duties assigned to it. The irony is: all work in harmony with each other and never has been a case sun/moon worked in conflict with each other. The galaxy of twinkling little stars do not collide with each other nor even the planets cross their own orbits to collide with another. The chirping of birdsdoes reveal gospel of praise to their creator and sustainer.

Swamiji’s clarion call to us to follow and glorify the One: the Creator; should He choose to extinguish the light, darkness would envelope the whole universe and survival of all of us will be at stake. He suggests our indulgence should be very much limited to moderate ourselves to a way that the centrifugal tendencies are cajoled to go centripetal so that our mind is tamed to look inwards so that lives become more in spirit than worldly wishes.

Let’s come to the common parlances:See:Noticing or becoming aware of (someone or something) by using one’s own eyes and Look: Directing one’s eyes in a particular direction; Hear:To be aware ofthe (sound)through the ear and Listen:To pay attentionto someone or something in order to hear what is being said, sung, played, etc. to enjoy/feel sad; Taste:Sample the flavor of something orally and Relish: Taste or eat with pleasure, to like the flavor of; to take great pleasure in of being touched, experience(an emotion or sensation). Touch: more towards interpretation and execution and Feel: to be aware of physical or emotional sensation (a person or object) through touching.

The Perfect Narrative: I

To begin from the beginning we may see a personality stepping up the ladder climaxing; religious-faith and conviction transformed M K Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi to transform the basic notions of religion vis-à-vis Indian/World Politics. Bereft ofknowing about Bhagavad Gita in his India-stay till he reached London, it is strange but interesting to note his first introduction to Gita happened there through two English brothers. Studying law there, the brothers read Gita regularly and Gandhi was motivated to join them; they contemplated they may get to know the text inSanskritbetter but Gandhi could not come to their rescue because he lacked knowledge in Sanskrit.

Gandhi unraveled the English version written by Sir Edwin Arnold as recommended by his English friends; he was moved with the genuine philosophyof life which happened to be Gita’s message. Understanding the doctrine of Dharma, he practiced reading Gita regularly, later, in the original Sanskritlanguage and utilized his jail tenure to read the scripture in detail. Then he translated it into Gujarati; later English translation appeared.

Non-violence and Truth were the off-shoots of his journey along with the Gita and both being inseparable and pre-supposes one another. He started professing the practicality that satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. As a priceless gift of the peerless disciple, Gandhi emerged in the Global public life and Indian Freedom Movement as the gift of the Gita. His contributions towards India’s Freedom, there are no expendable emotions in our memoirs and the World was in all apt attention till 1947 and even till January 30, 1948. In our heart of hearts to note, a non-saint trading the path of saint-hood in an extra-ordinary way to snatched India’s freedom from a mighty empire.

The Special Note: 85 % of the jobs around 2030 have not been invented yet as things are not what seem to be, and nothing is what it appears to be.Even ifit’s the AI and ML, unity in the world necessitates a heart-to-heart feeling of oneness among its inhabitants. India is gaining its lost sheen as the Global Leader not byher own course (nemojudex in caussua) rather chosen by the human race to lead the world followingthe path ofspirituality. Inour sense ofthe term, values are not taught, but they are caught; our family-culture in its own way imbibes this to the posterity and so on. We believe the capacity to learn is a gift to us, the ability to learn is our skill earned and the willingness to learn is our choice and we have chosen it to practice dharma in the righteous way to prevail upon the earth to continue to win despite naysayers.

Understanding

Beauty of Beauties is God and let’s identify with that which is everywhere. Rather than perceiving a person, it’s good to feel his/her presence as one feels one’s own self. Education changes life; if there is one thing; it is creating opportunities for more people to benefit from the same transformative experiences. Highereducation is also learning about the world that is large and marvelous and illuminating, learning modes of speech, pattern of empathy, liberal arts and knowledge of many arts, history and language to set the world in context. It is totally reasonable for a student to want their degree to have that kind of fiscal worth but we also need to encourage them to see what that breadth of learning 

across all kinds of subjects can bring not just to their job but to their entire life. The outcomes of genuine higher education are:

Knowing oneself is the beginning of all wisdom: a tech-savvy recognized that she thoroughly enjoys solving complex problems and creating efficient systems. This self-knowledge focused her on picking projects at work that tapped into her natural strengths; she took on more technical challenges that leveraged her analytical abilities. It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it: a business analyst listened patiently to his colleague’s proposal before critiquing it and sincerely tried to understand his perspective instead of dismissing it right away. His introspection allowed gaining insights from his colleague’s ideas that improved his proposal. Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all: an MBA Graduate landed at a prestigious marketing job but felt unhappy; through self-inquiry, he realized to have focused entirely on building skills and neglected building character and never defined his core values. Excellence is never anaccident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution: a Biochemical Researcher decided his life purpose was pioneering disease-fighting innovations and systematically built knowledge, skills, and collaborations to excel as a Biotech leader. His passion fueled perseverance through obstacles and helped develop life-saving medicines by living his purpose.

The Lock, Stock and Barrel are we didn’t achieve our freedom by entreaty but was possible with very sincere effort, struggle by one and all led by genuine guidance. Today, our education doesn’t teach us to strive to be a part of the solution and not part of the problem. The 3 Ps: Purpose, Perseverance and Passion have to move together to solve any problem. Education is for self-development but not like an ass carrying its load ofsandalwood knows only the weight and not the value ofthe sandalwood. Education for self-enrichment should be like the flower-bud blooming and then its qualities like beauty, fragrance, color etc revealed; similarly with the manifestation of the Self, all higher values will shine forth brightly.A seed in a potential student of a School/College/University needs right mode of teaching and guidance as external conditions to sprout and unleash his/her inherent potentials. Right education can’t just be taught by anyone rather understanding comes from within.

Today’s education is only and only career making for which the whole education sector has been commercialized. Students know how to smile but don’t know how to feel the smile; know how to work but not knowing how to live a worthy life; know how to exploit but don’t know how to expand; well-informed but ill- equipped to face the challenges oflife and knowingeverythingabout the world but knowing nothing about themselves. Education for self-respect is missing a clear cultural background that withstands shocks, not a simple mass of knowledge. We canput a mass knowledge into the world but that willnot do it muchgood, what of them? Like tigers, savages, there must prevail upon culture into the blood.

Education for self-confidence is possible with restraint and abstaining from mundane activities; the great such force moved from the animal-like actions and sent upward to the brain, the dynamo of the human system to store-up becoming Ojas or spiritual force. The innovations and wisdom resolves a part of animal energy into Ojas; today it’s completely absent leaving the youth effeminate and irresolute, intellectually debilitated and prey to sexual irritation. Education for self-reliance; we have huge ideas and opinions but bythe time a student is sixteen, s/he is a mass of negation but education must make one emotionally mature and independent. Education for self-restraint; one has to work hard and struggle ceaselessly against inimical forces undeterred by failures thus establish character through a thousand stumbles. Education for self-responsibility: the man rowing the boat, seldom has time to rock it. Today, we have nobody to grope towards, no devil to blame upon, no personal God to carry our burdens, we have to rise to our best thinking ‘I am the bringer of good unto myself; I am the bringer of evil’. Education should redress this and instill a sense ofresponsibility in us. Education for self-perfection; religion is rice and rest all curries. Only curry causes indigestion and so is the case with rice alone. Our Pedagogues are making parrots of our students thus run their brains by cramming a lot into them without knowing ABC of those; where is mastery then ?

What Is Education

• Assimilating Knowledge
• Manifesting inner potentialities
• Instilling respect for the self and national culture
• Awakening self-confidence
• Equip to be self-reliant
• Training towards character-building
• Creating responsible citizens
• Inculcating attitude of service
• Developing a holistic personality, an integrated-one
• Having religion as inner-core
• Profession of a teacher is the result of meritorious actions of several births
• Teaching students is a spiritual activity

Swami Vivekananda says: “I look upon religion as the innermost core of education”.

The Perfect Narrative: II

The soul is subtle ofthe subtlest and doubt arises when someone dies, few says/he is no more, some agreeing its existence; this was the prayer for the third boon ‘the curiosity of Nachiketa to unleash from the God of Death. Can we starve our ego and feed the soul? Whether we walk in the light ofthe soul or de-route our journey inthe darkness? Whether our vani (words) becomes veena (musical instrument), to make life lyrical and melodious; if vani becoming vana (cacophonic) the great Mahabharat may usher in. Now, water shouldn’t lose its dignity to bring catastrophe, vani not to lose its dignity to invite destruction. The Sun alone shines always and to learn to be like sun, one has to trust on the self.

Philosophical Edifice of Life

• Our past is ‘earth (clay)’and future is also ‘earth (clay)’, why to feed our ego?
• To know one’s ignorance is the greatest awareness of a person
• Trust, heart, love, promise: never to break these things to maintain sanctity of relationship
• Only and only I am right: this mistake mars all relationships
• Expression of Ego on one’s small power is meaning less

In the duel between candle light and incense stick in a temple, winner is the later as the former is extinct with a little blow of wind but that power of wind could spread the fragrance of the incense stick more in the temple. Remaining fully conscious of the fact that Jeevan-Deep (lamp of the life) may be extinct any time, one has to visit/remember the graveyard to see arrogance of arrogant have been turned into ashes. Going back to the sayings of Swami Chidananda: to See but Look Not, to Hear but Listen Not, to Taste but Relish Not, to Touch but Feel Not are the nectar of life to lift us to the higher state of consciousness to know true purpose of life.

Let’s remember the answer given by Socrates whether he was the greatest knowledgeable, he replied:“I know nothing, how can I be the knowledgeable?”

Conclusion

We live for the moment forgetting where we had come from, not caring where we were headed. But there is more to life than looking, listening, relishing, feeling, or power in the flock. In this life, if we learn nothing and the next world is the sameas this. The heaven of post-life is being perfect and we can touch heaven, in the moment that we touch perfection.

Overcoming space and all we have left is there; overcoming time, and all we have left is now and inthe middle ofboth Here and Now, anew we might see. Whenwe look, all it shows is limitation; listening hinders the sound of divinity, the movement of earth; relishing is longing for the experience of mundane taste and feeling stops to know the truth.

The whole narrative can be better exemplified throwing light on the types of hormones in the brain: Dopamine, the reward chemical (happy hormone) released in the brain is the FEEL GOOD setting the goal and reaching it; Serotonin, a monoamine  neurotransmitter, carries messages between central nervous system and the body. This is the regulatory hormone which enhances mood, sense of optimism and quality of sleep; Oxytocin, the chemical messenger, love hormone gives feeling of safety, recognition and belongingness, enhances trust and empathy, romantic attachment and mother-infant bonding; Endorphins, the pain reducer, natural pain-killers in the body, reduce stress and improves feeling of well-being. It also triggers a positive feeling in the body.

To end, now let’s accept the mystic and unfathomable words of Swami Chidananda with all humility. Recalling the four epic-lines of Swamiji, let’s conclude that we can’t choose the external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them by manifesting divinity within us and everything will be harmoniously arranged around it.

• Sow a seed of Thought, reap an Action
• Sow a seed of Action, reap a Habit
• Sow a seed of Habit, reap a Character
• Sow a seed of Character, reap a Destiny

The PATH to trade is LONG, but Self-Surrender makes it Short and Smooth. The WAY is DIFFICULT, but Genuine Trust makes it Easy and Enjoyable. 

References

1. Swami Krishnananda, Swami Sivananda was Unique, Spoken to Group of Guests and Visitirs, January 16, 1999 

2. Dr Behera Sarat Chandra, The Life Divine of Sri Swami Chidananda, Chapter from Swami Chidananda Biography “The Holy Stream”
3. Indian Yoga Association, Swami Chidananda Saraswati ji, 
4. Swami Yatidharmananda, Swami Chidananda: An Exemplary Life, Speech delivered by the author on the celebration of the birth centenary of Swami Chidananda at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, May 20, 2016
5. Alon GOSHEN_Gottstein, My Jewish Encounter With Hinduism, How I came to an intellectual and spiritual connection with Swami Chidananda Saraswati, April 13, 2018
6. Alom Goshen-Gottstein, “My Jewish Encounter with Hinduism” April 13, 2018
7.  Ajatananda Ashram, “Sri Swami Chidananda Saraswati”, March 14, 2017
8. 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions, Luminary and Hindu Saint Swami Chidananda’s Birth Centenary
9. Swami Sivanand Seva Samiti, “A Biography of Swami Chidananda”, January 24, 2024
10. Swami Chidananda, “Ponder these Truths”
11. Swami Chidananda, “Hinduism Today”, December 01, 1999